Cultivator attachment for tractors



Sept, 15, 1925.-A v"11,523,450 J.w. LIEDORFF l v CULTIVATOR ATTACHMENT bfoR' frRAc'roRs Filed Oct. 9.. 1922 2 sheets-sheet 1 l Ti uhm.

sept. 15, 1925.A 1,553,450 J. W. LIEDORFF CULTIVTOR ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTORS Filed 0G15. 9, i922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 o HH"|10 O U4.' da v Gnome? Patented Sept. 15, 1925.

UNITED STATES JAMES LIEDOBLFF, OF CALLAO, MISSOURI.

CULTIVATOR ATTACHMENT FOR TRACTOR-S.

'Application filed October 9, 1922. Serial No. 593,301.

Vvention seeks to provide means which may be readily attached to the tractor and serve as rolling supports for the same whereby, as the tractor is driven over the field, the

surface of the soil will be pulverized and made iirm to constitute ar seed bed. The vinvention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wellknown farm tractor equipped with my improvements f Y Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe forward ground-treating instrumentality, parts being shown in section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on' the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

The tractor 1 may be of any well-known model and in itself forms no part of my invention. In carrying out my invention, I jack up the forward end of the tractor and substitute for the steering wheels ordiriarily attached thereto a ground-treating instrumentality comprising a plurality of rollers 2 having their peripheries tapered from their medial lines to their -sides producing ridges 3. The rollers may be formed in any convenient or preferred manner and are provided centrally with bosses 4 which will abut when the rollers are lassembled in a gang so that the individual units will be maintained in a proper spaced relation upon the axle 5. The axle is equipped at its ends with annular flanges or ribs 6 which seat in annular grooves formed in the opposed faces of the half bearings 7 and the caps 8 opposed to the under sides of the respective half bearings and secured thereto by stud bolts in a well-known manner, an oil cup 9 being carried by each half bearing for an obvious purpose. The half bearing 7 is form-ed .at the lower end of a triangular bracket or end frame 10 and the two end frames are connected by frame bars 11 having the proper cross sectional outline to fit closely to the upper corners of the end frames. A firm and strong structure is thus produced so that the rollers will be held together and may rotate freely as the machine is driven over the field. Upon the frame bars 11 at the centers thereof, I secure a turntable 12 consisting substantially of an annulus or iat circular member having a cross bar 13 rigid therewith, the said cross bar being preferably an integral part of the turntable. Resting on the turntable 12 is an upper ring or annulus 14 which has a truss 15 formed upon one diameter of the same and arranged to lie directly over the cross bar 13 when the machine is traveling straight ahead. A pivot bolt 16 is fitted vertically through the truss 15 and the cross bar 13 at the centers of the same and through the side webs or flanges 17 of the truss a horizontal pivot bolt 18 is fitted, the said bolt 18 being also extended through lugs 19 which depend from the body of the tractor and normally furnish means for attaching the front support of the tractor steering wheels. Secured rigidly to the Amember 14 and extending 'rearwardly therefrom is an attaching bracket or radius arm 2O which is substantially U-shaped in its main portion and has curved arms 21 extending from its forward extremities to lie upon the member 14 and bear against the upstanding rib 22 thereon. The curved arms 21 are secured to the member 14 by bolts or rivets in an obvious manner. The radius arm is reinforced Vby an upstanding rib 23 which follows the outline of the arm and is preferably formed at the outer edge of the same. Through the rear portion of the said rib 23 and a lug 24 depending from the body of the tractor, a pivot bolt 25 is inserted'and the said pivot bolt is in axial alinement with the pivot bolt 18, as will be readily understood. Upon the member 14, I secure the laterally projecting bearing arms or brackets 26 and in the said arms or brackets I journal a shaft 27 having a worm 2S thereon meshing with a worm gear or rack 29 formed on the adjacent edge of the turntable 12, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. Connected by a universal joint 30 to the rear end of the shaft 27 is an opwardly and rearwardly from the saidr .Shaft erating steering shaft 31 which extends up- 27 and has its upper rear portion journaled in a bracket 32 upon the body of the trac-- tor, a hand wheel 33 being provided upon the rear extremity ofthe. said steering-shaft. lt will be readily understood t-hat rotation of the shaft 31 will be transmitted directly to the shaft 27 and thence to the worm 28 so that the rack or gea-r 29 will be caused to move forwardly or rearwardly and, consequently, a turning movement willY be irnparted to thel gang of rollers so that it will assume an angular position` relative to the body of the tractor and the machine caused thereby to follow any desired course.

After the gang of rollers 2 has been se.- cured in position under the forward end of the tractor in the, described manner and by the described, means, the rear endLV of the tractor isv jacked up and cylindrical shells 34y are secured, about, the rear driving Wheels 35 of thel tractor. andI about the traction cleats 3 6` upon the peripheries of said wheels. To the inner circumferential surfacel of each shell, I secure a plurality of beams or I-shaped bars 37 which extend` across the shell, as willV be readily understood upon reference to` Fig. l. Tov the surface of each bracing beam 3T remote from the; shell 34 secure a clip plate 3 9 having a hooked terminal,` 40 adapted to engage over the flange or rib il at thel edge of the tractor wheel 35, as shown in Fig. l' andv the groundengaging surf-acev of the shell is formed to present annular *circumferential-ridges like the ridges presentedy by thev front rollers.

The shells 34 having been secured; in proper position upon the rear wheels of the tractor in the described manner, the rear portion of the tractor is lowered so that the said shells will rest upcn the ground andthe tractor is then operated in the usual'manner so, as to travel over the field. In its travel, the tapered ridges presented by the front gang`V of rollers and the shells upon the rear wheels will cut into the surface of the soi-l and will divide and turn aside the same so that it will befeifectually loosened,any roots which may be present being out and clods or lumps or dirt being thoroughly pulverized. At the same time the troughs presented by the rollers and shells will serve to pack the turned over portions of the soil so that the surface will bev madel firm and moisture which may be in the soil below the surface will be conserved.

My invention provides mechanism which may be produced at a reasonable cost and readily appliedtoany tractor at a slight eX- pense andv without requiring skilled labor. Where my devices are provided, the farmer is enabled to readily and easily perform whatever operations mayy be needed. to bring his soil` into proper condition1 for the planting of a crop or cultivating a. young crop without being required to provide a'large number of` separate implements'. The mounting for the fro-nt gang of? rollers permits the rollers to follow any inequalities iny the surface of the ground 'without disturbing thelevel of. the tractor and also permits the said frontfgang to be shifted angularly relative to the tractor so that the steering of the. tractor will be easily kaccomplished while at the same time the gang will be firmly held in a., setv angular relation to the tractor. A

Having thus described; theinvention, what is claimed as new is:i

An attachment for tractors comprising arigid frame to be dispQSdY transversely beneath the front end' of'a tractor a gangof rollers mounted in said frame, a turntable secured rigidly on topA of said frame at the center thereof,- a, flat ring disposed over and resting directly upon` said'4 turntable andjprovided with a transverse diametric trus`s, a vertical ivotal connection betweenthefsaid truss anld i l the,svame,a radius arm Securedrrigidly to the said ring and projectingr rearwardly therefrom, a horizontally disposed. pivot adapted to connectv the truss with the bottom off a tractor, said pivot being. disposed in xa vertical plane of the vertical pivot, a horizontally disposed pivotadapted to connect the rear end yof the radiusarm with they bottom of the` tractor and alined axially with the first horizontal pivot and disposed along the medial longitudinal line of the tractor, and means for inoying the turn-table about the vertical pivot.

In testimony whereofl affix my signature,

JAMES LIEDORFF. [L-S-] theturntable at the centers ofk 

